What does shove mean?
Shove usually describes a push that is sudden, vigorous, or slightly rough. Someone may shove a door open, shove past another person in a crowd, or shove an object into a space. As a noun, a shove is a forceful push, as in receiving a shove from behind. The word often carries a physical sense of urgency and effort, but it can also suggest impatience or lack of consideration for others: “shove off” means to leave, and “shove something at someone” can mean to present or insist on something in a forceful way. Compared with the broader word push, shove tends to emphasize the abruptness and intensity of the movement. It is widely used in informal British and American English and appears in both literal physical contexts and figurative expressions.
To push, move, or place something with sudden force, often roughly or insistently.
"He shoved the heavy crate across the floor."
The sense often implies more abruptness or force than the ordinary word push. “Shove off” is an informal British expression meaning to leave.
A forceful push or sudden movement, or a blow delivered by pushing.
"Someone in the crowd gave him a shove toward the entrance."
The plural is shoves. In figurative use, a shove can mean a forceful or abrupt intervention.
The regular plural is shoves, used for individual forceful pushes or blows.
"He received several shoves from the crowd as he tried to get closer to the stage."
From an Old English word for pushing to the blunt command “shove off,” this word has always conveyed both physical force and impatience.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does shove come from?
The word comes through Middle English shoven from Old English scūfan, meaning “to push” or “to thrust.” Old English scūfan belongs to a Germanic family represented by Dutch schuiven, German schieben, Icelandic skūfa, and Danish skubbe, all of which share a common Proto-Germanic origin. The word has retained its forceful physical associations from Old English to modern usage.
Related word forms
How shove is actually used
Shove is common in everyday speech and can sound blunt, impatient, or physically forceful. The expression “shove off” is informal and is especially associated with British speech.
Easily confused with shove
Push is the more general term for applying force to move something, whereas shove usually suggests a sudden, vigorous, or somewhat abrupt movement.